MQMP opposes renaming Islamabad airport after Benazir Bhutto

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) on Tuesday challenged a resolution passed by the National Assembly for renaming the Islamabad International Airport after former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Speaking on a point of order, MQMP parliamentarian Kishwar Zahra said she was taking up a matter with the Speaker since August 14 to name the Islamabad International Airport after former prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan Shaheed.

“For how long will you continue to cash in on the name of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed whom we respect more than you,” she said. She pointed out that the PPP moved a resolution to rename the Islamabad International Airport after Benazir Bhutto Shaheed when the House was discussing the flood situation in the country.

The MQMP member said that her resolution to name the airport after Liaquat Ali Khan Shaheed, which was to be taken up in the House on Tuesday (October 18), was not included in the order of the day.

Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani, however, adjourned proceedings immediately without further discussion on the issue. The lower house of Parliament on Tuesday passed two bills to do away with two controversial legislations of the previous PTI regime to end the Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) status of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and to reconstitute the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The House passed the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Bill 2022 to repeal the Pakistan Medical Teaching institute Act and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill 2022 to reconstitute the PMDC.

Both the bills, already passed by the Senate, would become Acts of Parliament once signed by the president to meet the demand of health professionals and medical and paramedical staff of PIMS.

The PTI regime had abolished the PMDC, replacing it with the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC). PPP parliamentarian Jam Abdul Karim Bijar moved two private member bills which were okayed by the House. The two bills were amongst seven private members bills okayed by the House.

The National Assembly also passed the bill to further amend the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 [The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2021]( section 510); the bill to further amend the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997 [The Control of Narcotic Substances (Amendment) Bill 2022]; the bill to amend the Registration Act 1908 [The Registration (Amendment) Bill 2022]; the bill to amend the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 (Act XLV of 1860) and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 [The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022], and the Bill to further amend the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 (No. V of 1908) [The Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2021].

Five bills were also introduced in the National Assembly. The bills include The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2022, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022] (Amendment in Article-204, and 209), the Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022, the Anti-terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2022 and The National Commission on the Rights of Child (Amendment) Bill 2022.